The depth of the Illinois State mens basketball team took a hit Saturday morning when x-rays revealed that freshman point guard Khalif Ford had broken the third metacarpal in his left hand.
Ford, who will be sidelined for three to six weeks, suffered the injury in Fridays practice when his hand got caught in the jersey of Vince Greene while guarding him. Surgery is still being considered to repair the broken hand, but it will not affect the length of Fords absence from the Redbird line-up. This is the second injury in his young career after missing four weeks at the beginning of the season with a stress fracture in his right leg.
The Diamond Bar, Calif., native has been a valuable contributor off the Redbird bench this season, especially in the last four games. During that span, Ford has logged 53 minutes while only having two turnovers. He has also provided some defensive intensity and was instrumental in the Redbirds comeback over Indiana State on Jan. 6.
Ford is averaging 10.7 minutes per game, while posting 1.5 points, 1.3 rebounds and 1.3 assists per contest.
